Magazine coin-controlled mechanism.



PATENTED APR. 18, 1905.

H. MEYER.

MAGAZINE COIN CONTROLLED MECHANISM.

ATTORNE INVENTOR flez'ma/zu Jig er APPLICATION FILED NOV. 11.19 04.

WITNESSES.

Patented April. 18, 1905.

ATENT FFICE.

HERMANN MEYER, OF NE\V YORK, Y.

MAGAZINE COIN-CCNTROLLED MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 787,884, dated April 18, 1905.

Application filed November 11, 1904. Serial No. 232,266.

Be it known that I, TIERMANN )Tl-1Yl-]R,t1Cltlzen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of the Bronx, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Magazine (Join-( ontrolled Mechanism, of which the following a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved coin-controlled mechanism for use on self-playing musical instruments, vending-machincs, and other coin-controlled mechanisms anddevices arranged to allow a person to place a number of coins into the coin-chute for the coins to successively start the machine and keep the same going until the coins in the coin-chute are exhausted.

The invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations of the same, as will be more fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specilication, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is a face view of the improvement, showing a coin in position closing the circuit for the starting device of the motor for the machine on which the coin-controlled mechanism is applied. Fig. is a similar view of the same, showing the parts in different positions; and Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the. improvement on the line 3 3 of Fig. l.

The coin-chute A terminates at its lower end on the upper edge of a slide B, having elongated slots B, through which extend pins or screws B for the slide B to move on longitudinally, the said pins or screws being fastened to the frame or casing of the machine on which the coin-controlled mechanism is applied. A spring C presses the slide B, so as to normally hold the same in a right-hand side position, as indicated in Fig. 1. The right-hand end of the slide B is provided with a cam-surface B adapted to be engaged by an arm I) on a shaft l), journaled on the frame or casing of the machine, the said shaft 1) extending to the outside and carrying at its outer end a handle E, adapted to be taken hold of by a person to turn the shaft l), and to thereby cause the arm I) to move in engagement with the cam-surface B to push the slide B from the right to the left against the tension of the spring (J. The arm Don leaving the cam-surface B allows the spring to immediately return the slide B to its normal position of rest. (Shown in Fig. l.)

Directly below the slide B are arranged two contact members F and F of an electric circuit, connected with the starting device of the motor employed for running the machine, the said members F and F being spaced apart and adapted to receive a coin between the two, so that the coin makes contact with both members, thus closing the circuit. The contact member F is [ixed and in the form of a vertical bar for the upper end to form a temporary resting-place for a coin held at the time in the recess B, formed on the rear face of the slide B and in register with the opening in the chute A at the time the slide B is in its position of rest. The other member, F, is in the form of a lever, fulcrumed at F and carrying at its upper end an insulated arm F, engaging a pin B", projecting from the face of the slide B. From the fulcrum end of the lever F extends an angular arm F, pressed on by a spring (a? to normally hold the said arm against a stop-pin I l, and the free end of the said lever-arm F is connected by a cord, link, or like device l with the stop mechanism of the machine. From the lower edge of the slide B extends an L-shapcd arm B passing through a recess in the rear of the lixcd contact member F to project into the space between the two members F and F at the time the slide B is moved from the right to the left, either by the action of the arm I), as previously explained, or by the action of the lever F when the latter is actuated from the stopping mechanism of the machine on which the coin-controlled mechanism is applied.

The operation is as follows: Presuming that the coin-controlled mechanism is applied on a self-playing musical instrument using a noteshect having a plurality of pieces of music thereon, then a person desiring to hear all the pieces of music to be played successively fills the chute A with a number of coins J J J J,

&c., as many as there are pieces of music on the note-sheet, the coins resting edgewise one on top of the other. hen the chute has been filled with the coins, as described, then the lowermost coin rests on the upper end of the contact member F and is held in the recess B of the slide B. The person now turns the handle E, so as to cause the arm D to impart a sliding movement to the slide B from the right to the left, in the direction of the arrow 0, to move the recess B* from under the lower end of the chute A and to carry the first coin J along until the latter drops between the members F and F and onto the horizontal member of the angular arm B held on and moving with the slide B. hen the arm D leaves the slide B and the latter returns to its original position of rest, then the next coin J drops into the recess B* and rests on top of the member F. During this return movement of the slide B the arm B moves from under the coin J. held against the member F, and as the lever F is held in its position by the spring G it is evident that the coin J is now engaged by the two members F and F and clamped in position for the time being. The coin J now connects the members F and F with each other, thus closing the circuit and starting the machine. (See Fig. 1.) When the first piece of music has been finished, the cord 1 is actuated, so as to exert a pull on the arm F to swing the lever Ffrom the right to the left in the direction of the arrow 6, so that the first coin J drops out from between the members F and F, and consequently the contact is broken and the circuit is opened, with a view to stopping the machine; but during this swinging movement of the lever F the slide B is moved in the direction of the arrow a by the action of the arm F on the pin B of the slide B, so that the next coin J passes down between the contact members F and F onto the arm B, to be finally released from the latter and clamped between the contact members F and F the same as the first coin J, and consequently the circuit is again closed and the machine practically keeps on running. It is understood that the stopping device of the machine actuated at the end of each piece of music imparts a swinging motion to the lever F in the direction of the arrow 6 to shift the slide, and the latter immediately returns to its normal position of rest by the action of the spring C and on the cessation of the pull on the arm F* of the contact member F. On the return movement of the slide the next coin J 2 drops from the chute A into the recess B* and to a position of rest on the contact member F. At the end of the second piece the above-described operation is repeated, and so on until the several pieces of music have been played in succession.

From the foregoing it will be seen that it is necessary for the person to operate the handle E but oncethat is, on starting the machine as the successive coins are automatically used to close the circuit as soon as a piece of music has been played. (See Fig. 1.)

The oppositely-disposed clamping-faces (see dotted lines, Figs. 1 and 2) on the upper portions of the contact members F and F diverge upwardly for a ready entrance of the coin between the said clamping-faces at the time the slide B is pushed to the left, the coin first dropping onto the clamping-face of the contact member F, then on the projecting arm B", and finally onto the clamping-face of the fixed contact member F on withdrawal of the arm Bthat is, on the return of the slide B to its normal position of rest. The opposite faces on the lower portions of the contact members F F diverge downwardly to allow ready dropping of the coin on swinging the contact member F over to the left.

The device is very simple and durable in construction, is not liable to easily get out of order, and can be cheaply manufactured.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A magazine coin-controlled mechanism comprising a starting-circuit adapted to be closed by a coin, a coin-retaining device in the said circuit, for holding the coin in a circuit-closing position, the said retaining device being controlled by the stopping device of the machine on which the mechanism is applied, and means capable of being controlled manually and automatically controlled by the said retaining device, to receive the coin and deliver it to the said coin-retaining device.

2. A magazine coin-controlled mechanism comprising a coin-retaining device forming part of an electric circuit for the motor of the machine on which the said coin-controlled mechanism is applied, and constructed of a stationary member and a yieldable member, the said retaining device being controlled by the stopping mechanism for the said machine, and a delivery-slide, actuated by the movable member of said retaining device, for the latter to release its circuiteclosing coin and for the said slide to deliver another coin to the said coin-retaining device.

3. A magazine coin-controlled mechanism for machines having a motor, comprising a slide for receiving a coin from a coin-chute, spaced contact members for retaining a circuitciosing coin and of which members one is movable and connected with the said slide and with the stopping mechanism of the machine, and an arm on the said slide, for receiving a coin from the slide, for-temporarily holding the coin and for finally delivering the coin to the said spaced contact members.

4. A magazine coin-controlled mechanism for machines having a motor, comprising a slide for receiving a coin from a coin-chute, spaced contact members for retaining a circuitclosing coin and of which members one is movable and connected with the said slide and with the stopping mechanism of the machine, an arm on the said slide, for receiving a coin from the slide, for temporarily holding the coin and for linally delivering the coin to the said spaced contact members, and a manually-controlled pusher for operating the said slide, independent of the said movable contact member.

5. A magazine coin-controlled mechanism for machines having a motor and an electric starting device for the said motor, comprising a coin-chute, a spring-pressed slide under the chute and having a recess for the reception of a coin from the said chute, an arm on the said slide, for supporting a coin after its passage 

